Pipe-joint.



c. FORTH. PIPE JOINT.

V APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, I913.

1,154 984.. I PatentedSept.28, 1915.

i a m" 1 l mg? CHARLES FORTH, 0F OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

' PIPE-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

7 Application filed May 22, 1913. Serial No. 769,133.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES FOR H, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ottawa, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe- Joints, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to pipe joints, the object of the invention being to provide a joint which will permit the parts to be moved freely relatively to each other in all directions, while at the same time maintaining a fiuid-tightcomiection between them.

The invention is designed with special reference to the application of the joint to railway train-pipe systems for air or steam, to enable pipe terminals of metal to be employed between the cars instead of rubber,

and the invention consists of a joint of the ball-and-socket type, comprlsing two members-seated one within the other so that a coupling neck 1*, and 2 represents the ball they may rock relatively to each other in all directions, in combination with improved means for maintainingthe members in fluidtight contact while permitting their relative swiveling action.

The invention also consists of a gasket applied to the socket member and confined therein by improved means so as to produce a fluid-tlght seal between the parts.

The invention consists also of certain improved details of construction and combination of parts in the general organization, hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side-elevation of my improved pipe joint; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section through the same; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal transverse section, partly in elevation, on the line aa of Fig. 2, as viewed in the direction of the arrow in said figure.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the socket member of the joint provided with member seated in the socket member and provided with a neck 2,'the contacting sur,,

faces of said members being curved in the arcs of circles struck from a common center so that they may move relativelyto each other in all directions.

The surface of contact of the socket member with theball member is formed by a ring-like gasket 4, preferably of hardened graphite or equivalentmaterial, which gasket is seated in an annular recess in the firmly and fixedly therein by means of a confining nut 5, screwed into the open end interior of the socket member and is confined of the member. The. outer end of the gasket is inclined or beveled as at 4, and this beveled end 1s seated in a correspondingly formed annular recess 5 in the inner end .of the confining nut, the construction being such that when the confining nut is screwed home tightly to its seat, the beveled surface of its recess cooperating with that on the .of this construction, there is no risk or liability of the gasket becoming loose or displaced after being once permanently set to its final positionby the clamping action of the nut, the pressure of the ball member against the socket member tending to seat and hold the gasket the more tightly in place, and the contacting surfaces forming a very' effective fluid-tight joint between the parts without interfering with their freedom of movement in all directions.

The two members are held together with a spring action by means of a sleeve-like frame 6 loosely surrounding the members of the joint some distance from the same so as to leave an annular space between the neck of the ball member and the frame. This frame is in two endwise separable sleeve-like sections, 7 and 8, the section 7 being threaded internally atone end and screwed onto the eXter-iorly threaded end of the section 8, which latter is reduced in diameter beyond its threaded end, thereby producing an annular shoulder Qand'an annular extension 10. The opposite end of the section 7 of the frame is provided with a plurality of lugs 11, four in the present instance, spaced at equal intervals around the end of the sleeve, and on each "of these lugs is mounted an anti-friction element in direction, this construction permitting the socketmeinber to shift around on the ball member in all directions with a minimum of friction. Situated in the annular space between the sleeve-like frame and .the neck 2 is a strong coiled spring 13, one end of which bears against the shoulder 9, while its opposite end bears against an annular projectipn or flange 14 sustained by and extending outwardly from the neck 2 adjacent the ball member 2, the tendency of the spring in expanding being to force the frame 6 and its rollers longitudinally relatively to the ball member, with the result that the rollers, by their engagement with the external spherical surface of the socket member, will draw the same firmly and yieldingly against the ball member and will cause their contacting surfaces to maintain a fluid-tight joint. a

- In assembling the parts of the joint, the spring is seated in the enlarged end of the section 8 of theframe 6, the neck 2* with the ball member is inserted in the section, with the flange 14 resting against the end of the spring. The socket member is then seated over the ball member, and the section 7 of the frame with its rollers, slipped over the neck 1, and the threaded end of the section is screwed onto the threaded end of the section8 until the coils of the spring are forced together into contact, as shown, the rollers in this action forcing the socket member into firm engagement with theball member. The parts of the joint are now in operative relations, and the ball and socket members may rock and tip in all directions relatively to each other around the common.

' center of their contacting surfaces, while at p the sametime they may swivel relatively to 1 'ollers,-'and the ball member of the joint,

each other about their longitudinal. axis..

The coilof the spring which bears against the flangel l has its end rounded and extended a slight distance longitudinally in the form of a finger 15, which is adapted to seat inany one of a number of sockets 15 in'the flange 14; and the end of the coil which bears againstthe shoulder 9 is extendedinwardly, as at 16, within the main 'portion of the coil, and is provided on; its

end with a finger It adapted to seat inanyv one of anumber of depressions-16 in the shoulder 9. Thisconstruction constitutes a connection between the frame 6 with its of'such character that while normally these parts will be held against relative swiveling motion, yet under certain conditions, the extended ends of the spring'will be disengaged from the depressions in the shoulder and flange and will permit the parts to turn relatively far enough to seat the ends-of the spring into the next depressions. This construction forms inelfect a circumferentially yieldable connection between the frame and ball member and thus provides for a swiveling action, either between the member and in relation to the ball mem-- ber, these different actions occurring according to the different conditions encountered inthe practical use of the joint.

The spring 13 has its coils of gradually decreasing diameters from one end to the other, and when the coils are forced into contact with each other,in assembling the parts of the joint, the coils will be offset relatively to each other, with their cross sectional diameters overlapping each other slightly, and the spring will present a general conical form. If under these conditions, the spring becomes broken, the broken coils will forcibly enlarge and the spring,

will assume a general cylindrical form with the cross-sectional diameters of the coils disposed vertically in line, the effect of which will be to exert an end pressure against the flange and shoulder, with the result that the joint will continue to be effective even with a broken spring.

The extension 10 of the frame is provided I witha number of holes 18 for the application of a spanner orasimilar-tool for screwing the section within the other section 7; and the interior of the ball member-is provided with oppositely located lugs 17 for the application of a tool to facilitate the assemblage of the parts of the joint.

In the foregoing description and in the my invention in the particular detailed form and construction which I prefer to adopt, but it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that these details may be variously modified and changed without departing from the limits of my invention; and it will be further understood that the invention is not limited to any particular form or constructionof the parts, except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims. j I Having thus described my invention, what.

Iclaimis: g

i 1. In a pipe joint, the comb1nat1on of a socket member provided with an external spherically curved bearing surface, a ball member seated in the socket member and ,rockable therein universally, a surrounding frame, ari'tifriction rollers mounted on sa1d I accompanying drawings, 1 have disclosed frame on horizontal transverse axes extend.

ing in a general circumferential direction and engaging said external bearing surface of the socket member, and a spring acting on the surrounding frame and ball member respectively and serving to hold the antifriction rollers in yielding engagement with the bearing surface and thus maintaining the members of the bearing in fluid-tight connection while permitting their universal relative movement.

2. In a pipe joint, the combination of a socket member provided with an external spherically curved bearing surface, a ball member seated in the socket member and rockable therein universally, a surrounding frame, antifriction rollers mounted in' said frame on transverse axes extending in a general circumferential direction and engaging said bearing surface, said rollers being concaved so as to conform to the curvature of the bearing surface in a circumferential direction, and a spring acting on the frame and ball member respectively and tending to hold said parts in yielding engagement.

3. In a pipe joint, the combination of a socket member provided on its interior with an annular gasket seat sloping outwardly, a stiff gasket ring provided with an inner curved bearing surface, said ring being mounted in the seat, with its inner bearing surface' projecting beyond the internal surfaceof the socket member, and said ring having on its outer edge at its inner side, an annular surface inclined outwardly at an angle to the slope of the seat, a confining nut screwed into the open end of the socket member and having in its inner end, an annular recess provided with a sloping surface adapted to engage the inclined surface on the gasket ring, said engaging surfaces acting, when the nut is screwed into the socket member, to draw the gasket ring back and seat the same permanently in final position in its annular seat, a ball member extending into the socket member in contact with the projecting bearing surface of, the gasket ring, and means for maintaining said members in operative relations.

' 4. In a pipe joint, the combination of a socket member provided on its interior with an annular gasket seat, a stiff gasket ring provided with an inner curved bearing surface, saidring being mounted in the seat with its inner bearing surface projecting beyond the internal surface of the socket member, and said ring having on its outer edge at its inner side, an annular surface inclined outwardly, a'confining nut screwed into the open end of the socket member an d having-- on its inner end an annular surface corresponding ininclination to the inclined surface on the nut, and adapted to engage said surface, said engaging surfaces acting, when the nut is screwed into the socket member, to draw the gasket ring back and seat the same/permanently in final position in its annular seat, a ball member extending into the socket member in contact with the projecting bearing surface of the gasket ring, and means for maintaining said members in operative relations.

5. In a pipe joint, the combination of a socket member, a ball member rockable therein, a surrounding frame loosely engaged with the socket member, and a coiled spring acting between the frame and ball member to draw the ball member and socket member together, said spring being so frictionally interlocked at its ends with said frame and ball member, that the ends of the spring may be disengaged by 'a relative circumferential movement of said latter parts.

6. In a pipe joint, the combination of a socket member, a ball member rockable therein and provided at intervals with separated shallow depressions, a surrounding frame provided at intervals with separated shallow depressions, and operatively engaged with the socket member, and a spring acting on the frame and ball member respectively and frictionally engaged at its opposite ends in one of the said depressions in the ball member and socket member respectively, whereby the ends of the spring may be disengaged from one set of depressions, and may beengaged with another set, by a relative circumferential movement of the parts.

7. In a pipe joint, the combination of a socket member, a ball member rockable therein, a surrounding frame operatively engaged with the socket member, and a coiled spring acting respectively on said frame and ball member, the coils of said spring being-respectively of successively decreasing diameters, and the spring being sustained with said coils in contact with each other and offset relatively to each other, whereby in the event of breakage of the coils, the latter in expanding in the direction of their planes will increase the axial length of the spring and maintain the parts of the joint in operative relations. In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

1 CHARLES FORTH. Witnesses:

T. A. BEAMENT, A. Gnonon' BLAIR. 

